psychological disorders. defining psychological disorders an ongoing pattern of thoughts, feelings,...
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Psychological Disorders
Defining Psychological Disorders
An ongoing pattern of thoughts, feelings, and actions that is deviant, distressful, and dysfunctional (Comer, 2004).
p. 314 of text
Prevalence of Disorders
PrevalenceFrequency of a disorder over a given time
American Psychiatric Association study20,000 participants
15% of population experiencing a significant mental disorder
6% experiencing a substance abuse disorder
Rates vary somewhat in different countries
Historical Views of Disorders
Stone ageSupernatural forces/Trephining
The Ancient WorldNatural Causes Imbalance of body humors
Middle Ages and RenaissanceReligion/Supernatural forcesLunatic/asylums
Historical Views (con’t)
1800sSeparate mentally ill from prisoners
Early/Mid 20th centuryOvercrowding in mental hospitalsHarsh treatment
Late 20th centurydeinstitutionalization
Contemporary Models
Biopsychosocial Approach
biology and our social and cultural surroundings influence the development of disorders
Classifying Abnormal Behavior
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR)Classifies psychological disorders into
categories Detailed behaviors that make up the disorders Allows for consistent diagnoses
Has little/no information about causes or treatment
Anxiety Disorders
Source of fear is either unknown, or is inappropriate given the circumstances.
Anxiety Disorders
Generalized anxiety disorderProlonged vague but intense fears, not
attached to any particular object or circumstance
Anxiety Disorders – Panic Attacks
A sudden, unpredictable, and overwhelming experience of intense fear or terror without any reasonable cause
Biological and psychological factors
Anxiety Disorders - Phobias
Specific Intense, paralyzing fear of some object or
thing Social
Excessive, inappropriate fears connected with social situations or performances in front of other people
Anxiety Disorders - Phobias
Agoraphobia Involves multiple, intense fear of crowds, public
places, and other situations that require separation from a source of security
Acrophobia: Fear of Heights Gephyrophobia: Fear of Bridges Aerophobia: Fear of Flying Herpetophobia: Fear of Reptiles
Mikrophobia: Fear of Germs Ailurophobia: Fear of Cats Murophobia: Fear of Mice Ophidiophobia: Fear of Snakes Brontophobia: Fear of Thunder Cynophobia: Fear of Dogs Trichophobia: Fear of Hair Dementophobia: Fear of Insanity Xenophobia: Fear of Strangers
Anxiety Disorders
Obsessive-Compulsive DisorderAnxiety disorder characterized by unwanted
repetitive thoughts (obsessions) and/or actions (compulsions)
Anxiety Disorders
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)a disorder in which people persistently
reexperience the traumatic event in their thoughts or dreams, persistently avoid stimuli linked with the trauma, and persistently experience symptoms of increased arousal
Causes of Anxiety Disorders
No single cause Genetic factors Neurochemical Overactive autonomic system? Behavioral approach Cognitive approach
Three Factors in Dissociation
Depersonalization “Had the experience of feeling that my body did not
belong to me”
Self-absorption “Find that I sometimes sit staring off in space, thinking
of nothing, and am not aware of the passage of time”
Amnesia “Found evidence that I had done things that I did not
remember doing”
Behavioral Associations
Spent an hour at a time daydreaming Stayed away from a social event in order
to finish some work Had a nightmare Ate until I felt sick Drove faster than normal because I was
angry
Borrowed money Received public assistance (such as food
stamps or welfare) Borrowed something and lost it, broke it,
or never returned it Stayed up all night Did something I thought I would never do Smashed a vase or other object in anger
or frustration.
Dissociative Disorders
The separation, or dissociation, of conscious awareness from previous thoughts or memoriesDissociative amnesiaDissociative fugueDepersonalization disorderDissociative identity disorder
Mood Disorders
Major Depressive DisorderExperience profound unhappiness, most of
the timeLoss of interestLoss of energyLoss of appetite, sleep disturbances,
difficulties in thinking, feelings of worthlessness, excessive guilt
Mood Disorders
Bipolar DisorderDepressionMania
Euphoric statesExtreme physical activityExcessive talkativeness Distractedness Sometimes grandiosity
Causes of Depression
Biological factorsNorepinephrine and serotonin lower in
depression, higher in mania Psychological factors
Cognitive distortionsLearned helplessness
Causes of Depression
Biological factorsNorepinephrine and serotonin lower in
depression, higher in mania Psychological factors
Cognitive distortionsLearned helplessness
Social factors
Postpartum Depression
20-30% new mothers Why?
Psychosomatic and Somatoform Disorders Psychosomatic disorders
Real physical illness, largely caused by psychological factors (such as stress and anxiety)
Somatoform disorders An apparent physical illness, but for which
there is no organic basis.
Somatoform Disorders
Hypochondriasis
Conversion disorder
Schizophrenia
Disturbances inThought
delusions
PerceptionsAffect Motor behaviorSocial functioning
Schizophrenia
Positive symptomsHallucinations, delusions
Negative symptomsWithdrawal, apathy, absence of emotions
Causes of Schizohprenia
Biological factors Family factors Cognitive factors Biochemical factors Brain structure
Childhood Disorders
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Autistic disorder
Autistic spectrum disorder (ASD)
Personality Disorders (Axis II)
Inflexible and maladaptive ways of thinking and behavingDistress to person and/or with others
Schizoid, paranoid personality disorders Odd or eccentric behavior
Narcissistic, borderline, antisocial Dramatic, emotional, or erratic behavior
Dependent, avoidant Anxious or fearful